Vote helps all of District 194

All Lakeville Area School District residents should feel good about the vote supporting the school referendum on Nov. 5.

I’m not in favor of blank checks for any category of government spending, but to me and many others I’ve spoken with, the district and the Lakeville School Board have worked hard to earn a reputation for exceptional financial stewardship. The vote for the levy matters to the whole community because a reputation for good schools, combined with recognized financial stewardship, will draw the sorts of families to Lakeville that we need in order to increase the tax base and raise the value of homes and properties.

As a suburb, we compete with communities like Eden Prairie, Mahtomedi and others for families that care about where their kids go to school. I’ve personally spoken with people weighing those decisions. These families tend to increase economic vitality and social stability in their communities. It’s a virtuous economic cycle that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Some suburbs that haven’t gotten that mix right have suffered tremendously.

The reputational risks were real for Lakeville after two failed levies in past years, and I woke up Nov. 6 feeling good about the community’s decision on this particular levy vote.